Great pic Jill!

In contrast to the healthy and energetic weekend Jill had, this is how I spent mine.



My sister-in-law is visiting us from Kansas so we hit the wine country. As well as visiting the wineries, we went to a local rum distillery. She order the fancy pink and blue cocktail (I've forgotten what it was called). I think the bartender fancied our daughter as he brought over a free and unsolicited hot buttered rum for her.

Just got home from a few days in Torquay. It would have been rude not to partake in a Devon
cream tea, especially at a café that uses 'real' tea, not tea bags.

The question is , Martin did you put jam on the cream (Devon) or cream on the jam(Cornish)? That's important.

I was brought up with Cornish but one of my Cornish aunts had a daughter who married a Devonian so whenever I cross the Tamar I switch to my second scone language.

"I asked the maid, in dulcet tone,
To order me a buttered scone
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone."

Cream on the jam, I had no idea there was an alternative. This is why I don't dine out very often, hope nobody was watching...

Correct answer Martin, well done. Up the Cornish!

Over looking the town of Thames and the Firth of Thames on a rainy day. Thames has a population of around 7500 and on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula whereas Tairua (where I was staying) is on the eastern side.

I've always done scone, butter, jam, cream, other half of scone (also buttered) in that order and once some dozy assistant (not in the west country at least) provided whipped cream instead of clotted, which I don't like anyhow, but really was not appropriate. I tried to explain the difference and she had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. I tend to remember those sort of things...

A church in Enfield

Ditto!

P.S. Flopsy, I love the bright colours in your photo - just gorgeous!

The view from my favourite winery - The Ugly Duckling.

I think I might have to make some scones just to see which way I would do it!

A view on the hike.
We walked in that direction ... through that valley and up the other side.
There's snow there this weekend. I'm so glad we went last weekend and had this beautiful weather - it was cold at night but the days were spectacular.

Looks wonderful Jill!

Here's another great view. From our balcony overlooking Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown (South Island NZ) - at a conference. Someone has to do it!

That's stunning too, Mike! It's a tough life, huh? Poor you.

Back to Chip today looking cheeky - eight weeks old yesterday.

That dog is like a toby jug! Short, squat, and an ever open mouth!

And quite adorable.

Crews Hill, on the northern edge of London, which is built around market gardens, you can just see a couple behind the hedges.

Nice dog. I don't think he's fat in the least. Pups are supposed to be rollypolly. Will his eyes remain blue? Or is that just a puppy thing and not related to breed?

Flopsy, except for the leaves(depending on variety), your plant looks very much like a cleome. Lovely bee though.

Scones. Hmmm. Have never had anything on them 'cept butter and jam. Mom made the scone with currents in them. Maybe that's just a Canuck thing. That being said, scones are definitely a step up from bannock or pemmican lol

Yes, for a proper Cornish cream tea it is scones )with or without dried fruit, (or a 'split' but that is more traditionally Devon, I think). Halve the scones, then butter each half,then home made strawberry jam ,then pure real Cornish clotted cream (never whipped cream ) . Personally I would never put the other half scone on top. Each half should be buttered jammed and creamed separately (you get more). I have never understood the idea of cream on first, yuk.
Devon cream teas are a poor substitute .As they say, the best thing to come out of Devon is the A38!

the pedestrian bridge at the Otipua Wetlands in Timaru with ploughed farmland and the Hunter Hills in the background.

Interested spectators observing our field work a few months ago. I've obviously raised some parental awareness by my proximity too....

lol I don't think you would have o=gotten a step closer, Mike!

Great photo of the bridge Howie - I can imagine that as a jigsaw.

Just before camp on the first day we had to cross this. It's the Bowtells Swing Bridge that crosses the Cox's River.

I'm sure it's a lovely photo but (peering between closed fingers) that's the point where I would have wished you all a happy trek and turned round. Assuming I could move off the spot at all.

You walked across that? How.